This may seem like a small thing, but it has made a huge difference in my life…so I think it is well worth your while to spend some time meditating on this concept that took me 24 years to figure-out…

ABSTINENCE  IS  A  CHOICE,  NOT  A  PUNISHMENT ! ! !

As both a child and a young adult, I always wanted to EFFORTLESSLY be good at sports, to NATURALLY have a small appetite, to ACCIDENTALLY be thin, to AUTOMATICALLY be self-confident.  But all these were difficult for me.  And that made me feel different.  I truly believed I was the only one who had to work at these things.  So naturally I always felt like I was being punished for being different, or for having to work hard at them.  Of course none of this was true.  Sure, we all know a couple of people who can eat whatever they want and not gain weight, or that one person who has an innate athletic gift right out of the womb,…but those are the rare exceptions.  The majority of us have to put in real time and effort in order to reap the rewards of life.  It took me a long time to figure that out, but I finally got it.

Today abstinence is a privilege, a gift, and a decision, NOT a chore, a curse, or a burden.  Knowing and understanding that difference deep down inside my core allows me to make the decision to feel empowered rather than victimized, and to choose to live “a life of sane and happy usefulness” that would have otherwise never been mine.